Category Archives: Beauty

The past few months have been a whirlwind with an awesome new job and a new routine and unfortunately this little part of the internet got left by the wayside. But here’s to getting back into the swing of things!

Purple lipstick, purple skirt!

I pulled this lavender skirt out of my wardrobe to celebrate the incredible weather we’ve had in Perth this week, and matched it with Lime Crime’s Airborne Unicorn lipstick. (I may have also been celebrating how well the curls i got done at the hairdresser the day before held up!)

I love this shade!

I picked up the skirt in an op-shop and I think it was hand-made. I really like the shape — there’s tulle underneath to give it lots of extra poof. I paired it with a black singlet and some sparkly drop earrings to keep things fairly simple because I didn’t want to detract from the lipstick!

This skirt is just so big!

This light purple lipstick isn’t the easiest to work into an everyday makeup look but it’s definitely a fun shade! I’ve worn it before with a nude lip liner but a tinted lip primer (to remove some of the pink colour in my lips) will also help make the colour pop. The brightness did fade after a few hours and needed a second application.

I used Sleek Makeup’s Highlighting Palette – it’s so shiny!

I’m definitely going to work this colour into my summer wardrobe more often!

IF THERE is a shampoo with more hype around it than Big, I haven’t heard of it!

Little container, big hype.

I finally got my hands in this sea salt shampoo, which promises to give hair a lot of lift and volume and make it “easy to get a comb through”.
It also has seaweed, coconut to make hair soft and fresh lemons and limes for shine.
Having thin hair, I really, really wanted this to work.
Unfortunately, my hair did not want to play the game.

Lush Big sea salt shampoo.

My usually tangle-free locks became a massive mess after I washed it with Big, so much so that I could barely comb it, even when wet. I was worried I’d pull out all of my hair before I got out all of the knots!
I tried this twice, once when I let my hair dry naturally, (which usually results in lovely curls) and once when I blow-dried and straightened it.
On both occasions I didn’t notice a difference in volume once my hair was dry.
After blow-drying it was just as fluffy as it always is and when I let it dry naturally I ended up with LESS curls than I usually do!
Sure, I got some loose, beachy waves but nothing like the tighter coils I usually get.

Hair after using Lush Big and air-drying and how it usually dries.

(The photo on the right is from this post about flower crowns!
While I didn’t get the results I wanted, there are some things I really like about this product.
It smells completely divine, it is made up of natural, vegan and cruelty free ingredients and the pot is made of recycled plastic.

I love Lush’s use of natural and sustainable ingredients.

It smells divine!

I’ve heard other people really love it so I’d say it’s worth a try!
Pick it up here.

CHECK out these colours!
I’d been eyeing off more of the Lime Crime collection for a while.

Oh those colours!

Lime Crime Geradium and Poisonberry

Poisonberry is one of the darkest lipsticks I own but it’s got that classic Lime Crime stickability so it stays on without much retouching.
I’ve worn this with MAC’s Magenta lip liner underneath to even out the colour.

I may be a little bit in love with the holographic packaging.

Moving onto the pink!
I usually stick to cool colours because they suit my skin tone more and Geradium is just a tad warm.
That said, it’s a fun, bright colour and still worth giving a go, especially if you’ve got a skin tone that’s darker than mine.

This is a warm pink and may not suit all skin types.

I’ve done a lot of reading about the questionable practices of this business and its founder and although I can see why people don’t want to support it, I haven’t found lipsticks that live up to Lime Crime’s.
As I said in an earlier review of Centrifuschia, it just stays put all day.

I THINK I just fell in love with flower crowns!
I’ve always liked them but never found the right outfit to wear them with.
Today’s outfit is part boho vibe and partly filled with glitter.

I love this headband!

I mixed in blues and purples in my accessories to match the headband.

This skirt has an opaque mini-skirt under a sheer maxi skirt.

I picked this skirt up at a clothes swap event and wanted to keep the rest of my accessories fairly neutral. (Okay, for me, silver glitter counts as a neutral!)
I like how this skirt has an opaque mini skirt underneath the sheer maxi skirt – it makes it just that little bit lighter and different.
For my jewellery I followed the colours in the flower crown – blues and lavender.

The weather was great today!

Simple makeup was key to this light, daytime look.

I kept my makeup quite simple but with hints of glitter.
I used two Sleek Makeup palettes in this look: the Precious Metals Highlighting Palette and the Eye and Cheek Palette in Dancing Til Dusk.
For my eyes I used Two Faced Shadow Insurance and the two gold colours in the Sleek Eye and Cheek Palette – one matte and one with shimmer, as well as the silver colour from the Highlighting Palette for underneath my eyebrow arch.
I used the pale gold highlighters on my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupid’s bow.
My mascara is Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Flared — it’s been my go-to mascara for years!
I used the light pink shimmery colour from this Max Factor Flip Stick, too.

This is definitely an outfit I’ll be bringing out again.
Perfect for sunny days with the family and eating lots of food!
This also really makes me want to buy 100 huge flower crowns. I wish I’d discovered them earlier!

Is glitter one of your staples, either in outfits or in beauty products?

PRETTY please with a cherry on top!
This Lime Crime Carousel Gloss is something I’ve wanted to try for ages and I just couldn’t go past Cherry on Top, with its bright colour and glittery finish.

Such a lovely colour!

The colour pay-off is pretty good and I didn’t feel like I needed to use half the tube to get an even coverage.
That said, I’d seen other people say it lasts better if you put lipstick underneath it.
I tested this with Tony Moly Kiss Lover lipstick in Summer Orange (for a lighter red/orange) and Australia Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Cha Cha (for a deep red).

From top to bottom: Cherry on Top by itself, over Tony Moly Kiss Lover in Summer Orange and Australis Colour Inject in Cha Cha.

Although the difference wasn’t that stark, I think it would stand the test of time and food to have a decent lipstick underneath.
This lipgloss doesn’t feel too sticky (although I’ve yet to wear it out with my hair down and in a strong breeze!) and is a nice change to matte-look lip colours.

This lipgloss isn’t too sticky.

I still want to try the rest of this collection, which includes an icy white/blue glittery gloss (Snowsicle), a deep red (candy apple), a deep purple shade (Present) and, in a shade that’s not for everyone, emerald green (Hollygram).
Keen for more red lip colour love? I wore the deep red Australis lipstick with an incredible black lace dress.
And did you catch my last Lime Crime review? I wrote about the awesome hot pink lipstick, Centrifuschia.
This is a makeup brand I just can’t get enough of!

GOODBYE, make up brushes – I’ve found a replacement!
As I don’t wear foundation every day (BB cream usually provides enough coverage), there is nothing I hate more than getting to the weekend, going to put on my make up before a night out and finding my brushes really need a wash.
The result ends up as a streaky mess!
I don’t have that problem any more though!

This little sponge gives great results.

I spotted this Chi Chi Make Up Sponge while killing time browsing in the beauty aisle and as it was only about $6, I decided to take the chance and buy it.
I won’t lie, using it for the first time was a bit daunting so I read the instructions carefully and watched a few YouTube videos before I tried to apply my make up with it.
When using it you first fully submerge it in water so the sponge can expand to its full size.
You then squeeze out as much of the water as you can (using a towel helps) and start using it to apply your make up.
I pump my liquid foundation (MAC Studio Fix Fluid) on to the back of my hand and use the wide, round end of the sponge to pat it onto my face in a stippling motion.
The pointed end is for around your nose and eyes – harder to reach places.
It feels a bit weird at first but the effect is seriously amazing.
These types of sponges were designed to give an airbrushed look and that’s exactly what it does.
I’ve also started applying my powder (MAC Mineralize Skinfinish) with the sponge and my blush and highlighter too.
I’d read not to drag the sponge through pressed powder as it picks up too much product and I’ve found this to be true – it’s especially noticeable when you end up with a cheek full of blush!
After using it I wash it with warm water and goat’s milk soap because I’ve used it on my face before and I know my skin can handle it.
The packaging says not to use anything too harsh to clean it because it could irritate your skin.
One thing to keep in mind is it seems to take ages to dry properly, even when wrung out properly and left in the open. I’ve previously washed it before going to bed and it was still slightly damp in the morning.
The original version of this product is the Beauty Blender but it’s $27 for a single sponge and I found the Chi Chi version works perfectly well without the price tag.
In the long run the Chi Chi version probably won’t last as long but the price is something to keep in mind, especially if you don’t know whether you will like putting on your make up on this way.
I have heard from people who still prefer using brushes.
All in all I really love this sponge though and definitely won’t be going back to brushes any time soon!
Bonus points – they don’t test on animals!
Get more info here.

THIS is a product that I’ve been wanting to try for a while now but I honestly didn’t know if it would live up to the hype.
According to the creators it “removes makeup, cleanses and soothes” and is for use on your face, eyes and lips.

Way more than just water!

It also promised “no vigorous rubbing or rinsing required”.
Those are big claims in my eyes!
But I thought ‘how is it going to clean my skin if it’s just water?’
How wrong I was!
Apparently the key is the active cleansing ingredient, the micells, which “act as a magnet to capture impurities makeup and sebum”.
This has really changed my cleansing process.
Up until now I’ve just been using goat’s milk soap to cleanse and remove makeup because for a long time, that was all my sensitive, eczema-prone skin could handle.
Now I’ve got my skin under control, though (more on that here) I could reassess what I use.
I wanted to use something gentle, that wouldn’t clog up my pores and that I wouldn’t have to roughly scrub my skin with just to get my makeup off.
To put it simply, this cleansing water just works.

This has changed my cleansing routine.

To use it you put a bit on a cotton pad and wipe your face with it.
Foundation, lipstick, eyeliner and long-wear concealer have been no match for this product.
It usually takes about four cotton pads to remove a full face of makeup, including all of my mascara and liquid eyeliner.
The impressive part is there’s no residue left behind.
My skin feels cool and refreshed after I use it and not tight and dry like it does with a lot of soaps or other cleansers.
And, true to their word, I didn’t have to scrub heaps to get my makeup off.
I first spotted this in a chemist and really liked the look of the packaging (this happened with another Garnier product I reviewed here) – so their marketing people are doing a good job.
To sum up, this product is awesome, perfect for sensitive skin and I will definitely buy this again.

What’s in your makeup removing routine? Would you try a cleansing water?